This simple yet important concept is key to our understanding of the world - I mean it's pretty powerful stuff. It helps us make sense of our interactions with objects and their significance, relationships and experiences. Without context, we don't know what we're looking at, what we're feeling and what anything means. It's beautiful if you think about it... It's also tragic when considering how important context when it comes to memory and Alzheimer's.
Context as a concept is something that I've been trying to get my sales team to understand when presenting their annual sales summaries at our weekly revenue meeting. During a practice session, one of my managers was reading out a string of results for example: two thousand, eight hundred and ninety two; five million, two hundred forty-three thousand, six hundred and eighty-one; three hundred and seven. And then?
I'm all, "Please give context." Asking them "What does it all mean? Where do the numbers come from? Where are they going? What's the significance?"
They get the idea - I think - but didn't know how to do it on the fly; So I gave an example that was probably more hurtful than helpful. I'm like, "Here's a coffee cup. And it's important!" But how important? Not so much without context. So, I make up make up something to assign value to it. I say, "Ok, I give you context - it's Mao Zedong's coffee cup!" And everyone's taken aback. For starters, he drank tea and Starbucks City Series mugs were not around... Anyway, they got it, but it was too charged; and they were probably thinking "Make stuff up!" Five million, two hundred fort-three thousand, six hundred and sixty-one Mao Zedong coffee cups!
Tangent aside - let's focus our attention to the above posty. So, it's not just my team that needs a lesson in context, but apparently "Mar" needs it as well. This one was a mystery as it was sent with very little context! My brain was on overdrive. First of all, it was sent to work, not my home address. Second of all, it was sent from Chicago. I didn't know anyone that was going to be in Chicago, and speaking of anyone - I don't know a Mar. Who is Mar? What is Mar? Like short for March? Del Mar or Mar Vista in Southern California? Cafe de la Mar? Earl of Mar? I only had one clue - Mar is arriving in Beijing. But I don't know a Mar in Beijing that's visiting Chicago. And I don't recognize the handwriting to boot.
Fun yet agonizing. And then, the eureka! A few days had definitely gone by, weeks even. And it just hit me. Mar isn't short for March, but short for Mary... my friend Mary Montgomery. Doctor Mary Montgomery. She's got this fancy Ph.D in history of US international relations. So, a doctor in the academic sense with a keen culinary talent and mad skills when it comes to baking and desserts. On "context," not so much...
The funny thing was that I actually knew she was spending her summer visiting family and friends in the States, specifically: Vermont, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. So, when I get a postcard from "The Windy City," I tragically fail to make the connection. It's like she was all over the map - literally.
As for me, I don't think I've been to Chicago. I want to go - especially after seeing My Best Friend's Wedding. And transiting via United's hub via Chicago doesn't count. I digress - anyway, mystery solved. Postcard received. Name changed in cell phone. All is well. So thanks Mar, I got your postcard.
Get there!
1 comment:
Heehee...!
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